The present invention broadly relates to an ammunition conveyor system and pertains, more specifically, to a new and improved construction of an endless storage and conveyor chain in an ammunition magazine.
Generally speaking, the present invention relates to a new and improved construction of an endless storage and conveyor chain in an ammunition magazine, from which the cartridges or rounds are delivered to an automatic firing weapon. The endless storage and conveyor chain comprises a cartridge infeeding device driven by the firing weapon. This cartridge infeeding device is augmented by a booster motor, the endless storage and conveyor chain with the ammunition thereupon forming at least one loop in the ammunition magazine and being guided or trained over at least one drive wheel and at least one deflection roll or roller.
A known ammunition infeed apparatus of this type is disclosed, for example, in German Patent No. 3,644,513, published June 16, 1988. With this ammunition infeed apparatus for linkless ammunition for self-feeding firing weapons, particularly aircraft guns or cannons, the intake or infeed of ammunition from an ammunition container to an automatic firing weapon is augmented by a booster motor. The ammunition container is provided with intermediate floors or bottoms, at which the cartridges are superposed in one or several loops of an endless conveyor chain. This endless conveyor chain is guided or trained over at least one drive wheel and several deflection wheels, deflection shells and buffer wheels. The ammunition is delivered to a transfer unit for feeding and diverting ammunition and/or cartridge cases. Two moveably mounted loop-forming deflection devices are accelerated by means of a biased gas pressure spring in the ammunition buffer.
This known ammunition infeed apparatus has the disadvantage that particular measures and extensive means are required to maintain substantially small the acceleration forces occurring at the beginning of a firing burst or operation. Such measures and means require a corresponding constructional expenditure and increase manufacturing costs.
A further conveyor chain for infeeding cartridges is disclosed, for example, in European Patent Application No. 0,231,493, published Aug. 12, 1987 and the cognate U.S. Pat. No. 4,841,837 granted June 27, 1989. The conveyor chain is a cradle or bucket chain for infeeding cartridges or rounds from an ammunition magazine through a cartridge infeed channel to an automatic firing weapon. The individual cradle elements of the cradle or bucket chain are hingedly interlinked by means of bolts. Each such bolt is mounted in a ball or spherical joint located in an associated lug and extends into elongated holes provided in two lugs of the neighboring cradle element.
This known cradle or bucket chain for infeeding cartridges or rounds from an ammunition magazine through a cartridge infeed channel to an automatic firing weapon is not suitable as a storage and conveyor chain in an ammunition magazine from which the cartridges are delivered to an automatic firing weapon, the ammunition magazine having a special cartridge infeeding conveyor which is driven by the automatic firing weapon.
The known cradle or bucket chain is actually constructed to easily traverse through the cartridge infeed channel even if the latter is extensively curved.
A conveyor chain is described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,512,424, granted May 19, 1970. The pintle chain of the flat-link type comprises individual U-shaped members. The closed end of such a U-shaped member extends into the open end of the neighboring U-shaped member. A pintle consists of a pin and a bushing press fitted thereon, the bushing forming the center section and the pin ends, which project from the bushing, forming the end portions of the pintle. U-shaped members are placed in registering relationship, with the slots of a first member in axial alignment with the holes of an adjacent U-shaped member. The pin ends extending through the slots and holes are upset or peened to form a riveted connection. The slots and the pin ends therein cooperatively provide for relative longitudinal movement of the links of the chain.
This known chain is neither a storage and conveyor chain in an ammunition magazine nor a bucket chain between an ammunition magazine and an automatic firing weapon.